We're Here For You
by FanWriter02
Summary: Hiccup's still trying to adjust to having only half a leg and a prosthetic. But lucky for him, when things get tough, his Dad and friends have his back and there for him when he needs them most. Hiccstrid. Father/Son bonding.
1. Chapter 1

**Title: We're here for you**

 **Summary: Hiccup is still trying to get used to his prosthetic and not having an entire leg. Lucky for him though, when things get tough, his friends and Dad have his back.**

 **Genre: Hurt/Comfort, Family**

 **Rating: mild T for pain**

 **Time-line: Two months after HTTYD 1**

 **A/N: Hi guys! So I contemplated putting this with my HTTYD Requested Short Stories, but I really liked this one so thought I'd do it separately. I also think I'm going to make this longer, not sure how long, that kinda depends on how much you guys want. So let me know in the reviews if you want more, and I'll definitely do some!**

 **Enjoy!**

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Hiccup opened his eyes, instantly realizing how downright awful he felt. His entire body ached, and his leg- or what was left of it- was giving a sharp pain whenever he moved. He felt oddly and unnaturally warm… but he pushed it aside to having been laying under the covers for so long. It happened from time to time. And the achiness… well he blamed that on the crash he and Toothless had endured the day before.

He glanced over at the window, groaning when he realized it was already morning. Seemed like it had only been minutes ago when he'd laid down… but then again it wasn't that far off. He'd stayed up late last night trying to repair Toothless's tail fin after a little spill they took yesterday. Luckily, he and Toothless had made it out of the crash with only minor bumps and bruises, but Toothless's tail fin had been destroyed.

Hiccup pushed himself into a sitting position, wincing as he moved his leg to swing over the side of the bed. He looked about the room, hoping to see Toothless nearby, but the dragon was nowhere to be found. Probably out looking for some food.

Hiccup stumbled to his foot, making his way to the chair in the corner where he'd foolishly tossed his leg the night before. Hiccup stumbled, and fell against the chair, turning around so he could strap the prosthetic on. After doing that, he proceeded to change into a heavy green woolen shirt- the only dye colored shirts he had. Dye was rare to come by, so Hiccup had just stuck to the easy color- green.

Hiccup shivered, hating how cold it was in his room. Usually Toothless kept it fairly warm by waking up a few times in the night and sending a warm blast into the fireplace, lighting it on fire and warming the room for a few hours. But since Toothless had left, the hearth was stone cold as was the room. Hiccup shivered again, rubbing his hands on his arms as he limped his way to the stairs.

He stared down them, gnawing on his lower lip as he tried to build up the strength and desire to make it down the multiple stairs. He took a deep breath before placing his good leg on the top step, hesitantly bring his other half-medal leg to copy it.

Hiccup was doing fine until the fifth step, when his leg went out on him for an unknown reason. Hiccup reached out to the wall to steady himself, but he crumpled to the ground anyways. Thankfully he only had about five steps to go so he didn't fall very far.

He heard scuffling come from behind him, and he sighed, already knowing who it was.

"Hiccup!? Are you alright, son?" Stoick's voice asked in concern as he hurried over, reaching down and helping his son stand. Hiccup leaned against the wall, kicking out his bad leg in half anger, half embarrassment.

"Dumb leg." Hiccup murmured. He smiled at his Dad, hoping to calm him down. "I'm fine Dad. Just… tripped."

Stoick's face softened and he patted Hiccup's back softly- which actually wasn't as soft as it could've been since this was Stoick, he was strong and didn't really realize how much so when it came to his smaller son. Hiccup still felt the strength in his Dad's hand, even in that soft gesture. It comforted him- in a strange way. It made him feel protected- like he wasn't alone. That his Dad was really there. That he wasn't going to leave. That he'd stay and protect him from any danger. Even from just falling down a few steps.

"You sure you don't want your bed back down-"

Hiccup shook his head, "No, really I'm fine Dad. I've got to get used to it anyways." He reassured. He pushed himself away from the wall, removing his hand. He limped heavily to the table, gripping onto it lightly as he passed. Hiccup could feel his Dad watching him from behind at the steps. "Really… just fine!"

Stoick shook his head doubtfully. "Hiccup… I think maybe you should stay inside today. It's way below freezing temp out there-"

"I'll be fine. I've got Toothless." Hiccup reassured. "I-if you want… I'll even grab a cloak."

Stoick sighed, then nodded. "Alright… but be careful. And no stunts… alright?"

Hiccup's eyes averted and kept darting about the room, avoiding his Dad's gaze. "Uh… yeah! Sure."

"Hiccup…"

"I'll be fine, Dad. Don't worry."

"But I do." Stoick said firmly. His voice wavered, and he stepped forward, once again placing his hand on Hiccup's shoulder. "I… I can't lose you again."

Hiccup stared at the ground, blinking in a mixture of joy and shock. His Dad didn't want to lose him… and the tone of his voice revealed why. He loved his son, and didn't want to lose him. The crack in his voice said _"I love you and I can't stand to lose you again."_

If only his Dad would just _say_ that. It seemed his Dad thought that saying those three words of "I love you" were just sissy stuff- not things a Viking should say. But Hiccup wasn't any ordinary Viking… and he craved to hear the words for himself. He wanted to hear his Dad say he loved him, that he was happy Hiccup was there. To hear those words would mean… so much. More than his Dad probably knew.

Hiccup pushed his Dad's hand off his shoulder, continuing to stumble towards the door. "Eh, don't worry! Toothless won't let anything happen to me. Besides, I'll be hanging out with the gang today, so won't be alone."

That seemed to calm Stoick down somewhat, and he finally nodded. "Alright. But remember. _Be. Careful_."

That warm feeling spread through Hiccup's chest again, and he just felt so happy. His Dad actually cared. It was so obvious, and it filled Hiccup with joy.

"Thanks Dad."

Hiccup stepped outside, grabbing a fur jacket on the way. He took in a deep breath of the fresh, cold air, exhaling heavily before shivering. He rubbed his bare hands against the thick fur of his jacket, giving a little shiver and let out a puff of air that left fog in the air before his face.

He was once again met by stairs. He groaned and thought for a moment about just going around them, but then it was a steep hill full of snow. That didn't look all that welcoming either. He figured he'd have better luck with the steps, so took a deep breath before carefully making his way down the hill. Again, as soon as he reached the fifth step, his leg gave out on him. He let out a yelp, reaching out and grabbing the stone wall to keep himself from toppling down the remaining steps. He let himself slide to the ground with a weak groan, sitting on the step as he tried to catch his breath. He reached down and rubbed his leg, trying to get it to cooperate.

He heard a little coo come close beside his ear, and he lifted his head to see a black, scaly snout. He smiled thankfully.

"There you are." He said in mock annoyance. "About time you showed up, you useless reptile."

Toothless gave what sounded like dragon laughter before jumping off the stone wall and onto the steps. He stepped closer to Hiccup, nudging Hiccup's bad leg with his nose. He looked up at Hiccup worriedly, his green eyes wide in concern.

Hiccup rubbed Toothless head before fixing his gaze back on his leg. "Naw, its nothing, bud. Just my stupid leg…"

Toothless cooed before turning and jumping up a few steps, then swinging his head around and nudging his head under Hiccup, practically tossing the boy onto his back. Hiccup laughed, trying to ignore the sharp pain that seared through his injured leg. He fixed his prosthetic slowly into the stirrup, wincing when the pain came stabbing again. He placed his other foot in the other pedal, before giving Toothless a little nudge, the dragon immediately running and leaping into the sky.

Hiccup gave a gasp as the cold and harsh wind hit him full blast in the face. He ducked his head close to Toothless's neck, Toothless's head blocking some of the air flow. He should really think about making a helmet to protect himself from this stinging wind.

The two flew high above the buildings of Berk, the Vikings below nothing but small specks. Hiccup noticed quite a few dragons that flew low and right above the roofs of Berk, but that was all. He and Toothless were alone up high in the clouds, while the sun took its sweet old time in climbing higher into the sky.

After a half hour of flying around Berk, Hiccup turned Toothless and the two headed back to the Great Hall where Hiccup was going to meet up with the others. He also wanted to grab something to eat real quick- seeing as how he'd left the house before eating.

There were already quite a few dragons gather outside the Great Hall when Hiccup arrived, and he immediately spotted Stormfly, Hookfang, Barch, and Meatlug gathered in a small group, trying to block out the sharp breeze. It wasn't a strong wind, but it was _cold_ , making it feel so much fiercer then it actually was.

Toothless touched gently to the ground, making a very smooth landing. The smoothest one they'd done yet. Hiccup was getting better at maneuvering the tailfin- getting used to his prosthetic being his new foot. Well, in the sky anyways. He was still having a hard time on the ground.

Hiccup gasped when his prosthetic touched the ground, surprised by how painful it was. He gripped Toothless's saddle for a few moments more, wondering if he would be able to put any weight on his leg at all. He tested it, crying out weakly when a sharp, hot pain raced up his leg and into his spine. It hurt. _A lot_.

"Okay, okay, okay." Hiccup whispered to himself. "Just breathe… take it easy." He inhaled deeply, then released Toothless's saddle. Toothless didn't step away though, instead looking back at Hiccup with a worried croon.

"Okay." Hiccup murmured again. "I'm okay." He said to Toothless. The dragon didn't look convinced though, instead just giving Hiccup a very doubtful look.

Hiccup grabbed the Great Hall stone wall, wincing as he limped up the last step. He grabbed the handle, fumbling with it as he pushed it open.

He was met by a burst of warm air, and it made him sigh in relief. He hadn't realized he'd actually been so cold until he was in a warm interior. Now, the Great Hall would never have been this warm in winter's previous. But now that they had dragons, the Great Hall was almost constantly heated. There were about five dragons always inside, and that was all Stoick allowed inside on a regular basis. Sometimes more if the weather was really bad, or if it was a special occasion. Or if it was really cold, and they needed more dragons in order to keep the entire Hall warm.

Hiccup spotted the others almost right away, so tried to hurry over to the table. He hated how badly he was limping, but he was lucky he was able to walk at all. He was having a hard time doing just that as it was, he almost felt like getting down on fours and crawling. But no, he'd never do that. Limping was embarrassing as it was.

Fishleg's was the first to spot him coming, and lifted a hand and waved, a happy smile on his face. His wave caught the attention of Astrid, who was sitting beside him. She also smiled eagerly, waving her hand in a gesture for him to come and sit beside her. The twins and Snotlout, who sat opposite of her and Fishleg's, and had their backs to Hiccup, all turned around when they noticed he'd arrived.

Hiccup didn't miss the worried look Astrid gave him when she noticed his limp, but he chose to ignore it. He didn't want to talk about it anyways… he was a Viking. Viking's didn't dwell on pain.

"Look who finally decided to show up!" Snotlout exclaimed, rolling his eyes. The twins snorted, then resumed their argument over who was uglier. Hiccup ignored them too, for it was a normal occurrence for the two siblings to be arguing.

Hiccup collapsed on the bench beside Astrid, his breathing heavier then he'd had liked. He hurried to get it under control, the entire time Astrid staring him down. He finally looked up at her when she shoved a plate piled high with food in front of him.

"Eat up. I picked out all the food… lots of good meat and vegetables. We need to get some meat on your bones." She explained. Hiccup smiled at her.

"Thanks." He took a bite, nodding in contentment. "But I don't really know if you guys could take any more of this… raw… Vikingness…"

Astrid laughed, interrupting him from continuing. Hiccup grinned at her, liking the sound of her laugh. He'd never heard it before, and it brought a warm feeling to the pit of his stomach. He wanted to hear her laugh again, but wasn't sure how to go about it.

Hiccup's grip tightened around his fork, his breath hitching his throat as the pain came stabbing again in his leg, all thoughts of Astrid or anything else fleeing his mind. All he could think about was trying to breathe, and not throw up his food when the nausea hit him full force. The warmth crashed against him like a wave, and he gasped in shock. His leg felt like it was on fire… and the pain was racing up and down his leg and spine. He'd never… no _never_ felt anything like this before.

"Hiccup?" He faintly heard Astrid's voice say, somewhere in the murky darkness. His mind reeled, only focusing on the pain. Gosh, the pain…

"Hiccup!" Astrid shrieked, and it was only then that Hiccup felt himself falling. Falling… falling… falling…

Pain. Then blackness.

 **See you in the next chapter! :D Please follow, those really help me along. Also, go check out my other HTTYD stories if you haven't already. Tootles for now!**


	2. Chapter 2

**Hello! It's me… again! :D**

 **Glad you all seemed to enjoy the last chapter, and I have to say I enjoyed putting that little cliffie at the end there. I no… I'm evil. XD**

 **But here ya go, enjoy!**

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Astrid heard a little gasp come from Hiccup who sat beside her. She glanced over, starting when she saw that he was wavering slightly, and his dazed eyes were fluttering.

Astrid set her fork down, reaching out her hand, "Hiccup?"

Hiccup let out a moan, then his eyes rolled into the back of his head and he toppled backwards. Astrid let out a shriek of panic, jumping after him to keep him from hitting the ground head first. She managed to catch him enough where he landed on his side then his head, her toppling to the ground on top of him.

Fishlegs jumped out of his seat, shouting over and over, "OH MY THOR! OH MY THOR! _OH MY THOR!_ "

Snotlout and the twins just stared over the top of the table dumbly, neither really concerned that Hiccup had fallen off the bench. He'd done it from time to time when his leg slipped or sometimes if Astrid touched him he'd give a little jump and slip. He was Hiccup, they were sure he'd be fine. He was always fine.

Astrid pushed herself off, her panic taking hold of her. Hiccup had just fainted… and for no reason either! Had he choked on something? No, he was breathing fine. In fact, his breathing was heavy and raspy, but it didn't sound clogged. Just… well… nasally.

"Hiccup!" She shouted, rolling him over onto his back and straightening him out. By now, other Vikings in the Great Hall seemed to realize something was wrong, some hurrying over to offer assistance.

"What happened?" Spitelout asked, pushing his way to the front of the small crowd. His eyes quickly caught sight of Hiccup, and his face paled slightly. "Odin." He muttered. He turned and shouted into the crowd. "Somebody get Stoick and Gothi!"

Astrid wasn't paying them much attention, her full focus on the unconscious boy before her. She grabbed his wrist, feeling for a pulse. She felt the faint _bump bump bump_ , but it was weak and thready as well as fast paced. It made her worry even more.

What in the archipelago could be wrong?

Then, a thought burst into Astrid's mind. She'd forgotten about his leg. It was easy to do, since he rarely brought up his handicap- unless he was joking about it of course. Or if he tripped accidently and said something sarcastic about his metal leg in attempts to hide his embarrassment. He never said it caused him pain, but she knew it did. But the thought of it actually hurting him this much didn't really occur to her first off, just because Hiccup had never complained before. He never complained about his pain.

Spitelout was kneeling down beside her, his hand grabbing Hiccup's as he copied Astrid's movements by checking the boy's pulse. Spitelout nodded his head, his eyes unrevealing his emotions.

"Wait… did Hiccup really just faint?" Snotlout asked, pushing himself to his feet and walking around the table. Astrid glanced up at them, noticing how Fishlegs was still standing where he'd stood before, only this time he had his hands up to his mouth, and he was gnawing on his fingers in worry. Snotlout looked a bit shocked with a mixture of amusement, she realized in anger. How could he find this situation _funny?_

"Ha! Just like Useleeeee…." Snotlout stumbled to a halt, realizing with a pinch of horror at what he'd almost said.

"This is serious, Snotlout!" she shouted at him, making his expression totally melt away into remorse. He stared at her, but she ignored him, turning back to Spitelout when he bent down to pick Hiccup up in his arms.

At that moment, the Hall's doors burst open, letting a wave of cold air waft inside. Astrid shivered, looking over her shoulder to see if Stoick or Gothi had arrived. But it was Toothless who stood in the doorway, his eyes wide and panicked looking.

He caught her gaze, then his eyes shifted to Hiccup. Toothless barked, then rushed forward, Vikings rushing forward to close the doors behind him so the warm air wouldn't totally escape the room. Toothless didn't stop once, he charged right over to Spitelout, skidding to a stop and sniffing the boy's face worriedly.

Astrid pushed herself to her feet, surprised by how shaky her knees were. She'd never felt this scared before. Really, she felt weak and dazed, a feeling she'd never experienced before. No, wait. She had experienced this sensation before. First when Hiccup and Toothless had lifted her up and dropped her in the tree a couple months ago, and that time when she'd watched Hiccup fall… fall into those flames. When Stoick had run through the ash and smoke, screaming his sons name. When she'd seen Stoick kneeling in despair before the crumpled form of Toothless… and she'd thought Hiccup was dead.

Ugh, why did Hiccup cause her so much fear? Nothing scared the great Fearless Astrid Hofferson!

 _…right..?_

"Oh, you idiot." Astrid murmured to herself as she watched Spitelout carry Hiccup towards the door, wrapping blankets around him in the process. Toothless followed close beside him, his body radiating heat to keep Hiccup warm as they traveled outside towards Stoick's hut.

The doors of the Great Hall slammed shut, and the cold air ceased to fill the Hall. Astrid sighed worriedly, rubbing her arms in a nervous and concerned gesture as she continued to stare at the door.

Snotlout touched her arm, and she flinched slightly. She glanced at himi, quickly looking away when a pinch of frustration filled her. She'd thought that Snotlout had stopped laughing at Hiccup… but obviously, she'd been wrong.

"Astrid… I didn't mean it… what I said back there. I didn't mean to laugh at him." Snotlout explained hesitantly. "I-I just… sort of forgot… and…"

"No." Astrid hissed. She turned to him, her eyes narrowed. "How _could_ you, Snotlout?"

The look that flashed across Snotlout's face softened Astrid's heart a little, but she remained firm. Really, how could he do that? How could he just make fun of Hiccup like that… when he was brought down? Just like back then? Just… HOW COULD HE!?

"I-I'm really really really sorry. I didn't mean it, honest." Snotlout whisperd hoarsely. "It's hard… to not make fun of him anymore. It's just natural… a bad habit really. I'm so sorry. It-it won't happen again. I promise."

Astrid sighed, once again looking over at Snotlout. His face was one of guilt, and his eyes were begging her to forgive him. She nodded softly, "I get it… but… you're just lucky he was unconscious. If he'd heard you, you wouldn't be standing." Astrid threatened. If Hiccup had been awake when Snotlout had said those words, she would've beat him the larger boy to a pulp.

But again, remorse washed over her, and she realized that Snotlout really hadn't meant it. Like he said, it had just become a habit from the past years. And she knew Snotlout had been trying to get rid of it, and that it was hard for him to overcome the habit. And she knew he really, truly didn't mean what he'd said.

"Just…" she said softer. "Don't say it again."

Useless. The name they'd taunted Hiccup with for the last seven years. Ever since he'd turned nine they'd ridiculed him, for everyone had realized that Hiccup would never outgrow his scrawniness. Where the name had come from, Astrid didn't know. Wether Snotlout created it or if it just gradually got picked up, it didn't matter. For that name had been what had defined Hiccup for years.

But that changed. Now everyone called him a hero, and it made Hiccup so happy. She loved seeing his face light up in a smile whenever somebody called out "Hello, Hiccup! How're you doing?" or, "Good to see you Hiccup!". Every time someone said a kind word- which was very often now a days as people began to realize what a truly special and amazing person hiccup was- Hiccup would grin and answer back cheerfully. Even when he'd been limping around, hanging onto Toothless using him as a temporary crutch, he'd laughed and smiled at everyone who stopped to pat him on the back or ask him for advice.

Hiccup was happy, and that made Astrid so so so happy. Overjoyed was a more appropriate word to use. But honestly, there really wasn't a word to describe how happy it made her to see him happy.

"Please." Astrid whispered, not really realizing she was talking until she said it. "I want him to stay happy."

Snotlout nodded. "I promise it won't happen again."

"Thank you." Astrid breathed. She turned back to the table, gathering Hiccup's still full plate of food as well as her own half empty one. She didn't feel hungry anymore, her stomach still tight from the scare Hiccup had given her.

She hurried to drop the plates off by the wash tub, hurrying to the door. She grabbed her fur coat and hood, hastily putting them on as she rushed out the door.

Stormfly turned and squawked when she caught sight of her rider. Astrid smiled at her, running forward and catapulting onto the dragons back.

"To Hiccup's hut, girl!" Astrid shouted, and Stormfly extended her wings and jumped up, pumping them until they were soaring above the rooftops.

Stormfly plopped down into the snow outside Hiccup's hut, and Astrid jumped down, patting the dragons side thankfully. Stormfly turned her head and began to preen herself, not minding in the least to having a little bit more alone time.

Astrid stepped up the few steps to the doorstep, noticing first off the shallow prints in the snow that could only be made by one person- Hiccup. Someone had shoveled the snow off the steps so that there was only a light dusting on them- most likely Stoick himself had done it so it would be easier for Hiccup to walk. Which was understandable, since Hiccup still had a really hard time with stairs.

She knocked her fist against the heavy wooden door, waiting patiently for an answer. When the door didn't open, and nobody shouted from inside, her heart constricted in fear again as she shoved it open, afraid that something terrible had happened that Stoick wasn't answering… she knew that somebody was there, since Spitelout had just carried Hiccup there moments before.

"Stoick?" She called out, looking about the room. Empty.

She scrambled to the stairs, running up them three at a time. In that time she pulled off her coat since she was beginning to roast with it on. She had it off once she reached the top step, and she hastily rolled it into a ball and tossed it back down below where it landed on the table.

She stepped up the little step into Hiccup's room, her heart beat racing when she noticed that everybody- as in everybody- was gather around Hiccup's bed.

To be more specific, Gobber, Stoick, Spitelout, Gothi, and Toothless were the ones gather in the small room. Astrid took this as bad news, so she hurried forward, stepping behind Gobber.

She tapped his shoulder, breathing heavily from her hasty entrance. "Gobber…" she gasped. She glanced past him, but wasn't able to see much more then Hiccup's hand which dangled off the bed. "What's wrong?"

Gobber's face was expressionless, and Astrid wasn't sure what that meant. Gobber always had a good word to say, no matter the situation. Heck, he'd made a _joke_ about _Hiccup losing his leg_ when they'd found him _horribly injured_ in a _battle field_!

So, when Gobber said something negative, you knew it was a serious situation.

She waited, her panic rising when he didn't answer immediately.

Gobber caught her expression, and he hurried to calm her down. "Woah, hang on there! Don't get upset. He's fine, he's just in quite a bit of pain…"

"Why!?" Astrid exploded, biting her tongue immediately after saying the word, wishing she'd just said it calm and cool, like she did during training, or doing something else dangerous.

But this was Hiccup! She was entitled to panic, wasn't she!?

Gobber looked back at the bed, "Ehhh… not entirely sure yet. So just hold on until Gothi finishes her examination. He's still out cold- which seems to have her concerned."

Thank you for those reassuring words, Gobber. You really know how to calm a person down!

Astrid smiled to herself, despite the situation, when she thought the words. Hiccup was starting to wear off on her; she could totally see him saying exactly those words.

"Now you can stay, but if Gothi's news is bad then you're gonna have to leave-"

Astrid snapped back to attention, shaking her head fiercely. "Absolutely not! I'm going to stay right here with him until he wakes up."

Gobber sighed and rolled his eyes to the ceiling. "Astrid, lass, come on. Be reasonable…"

"Nope." Astrid stated firmly. She pointed her finger at his nose threatingly, "I'm NOT leaving. And that's final."

Gobber stared down her finger at her, then he let out a sigh. "Fine, but Stoick might-"

Astrid ignored him, instead pushing past so she could reach the bed. Once she saw Hiccup's pale face lying against the pillow, she slowed down, staring at his face in a mix of shock and fear.

She absently grabbed Hiccup's desk chair and pulled it close to the bed, sitting down and looked up and down the rest of his body, searching for signs of an injury. Gobber had said he was in pain. What was causing that pain?

Her eyes fell onto Hiccup's leg, which was wear Gothi was working. There was a mound of blankets, so Astrid couldn't see Hiccup's wounded leg fully, including Gothi's face. Hiccup suddenly let out a pained whimper, Astrid's heart squeezing in worry when she heard it. She bit the inside of her cheek, hating how she was helpless to help him. She drummed her fingers against her knee impatiently, waiting for some sort of explanation for why Hiccup had just fainted- out of the blue like he did.

Gothi turned, and picked up her stick. The other men- and even Toothless to Astrid's amusement- leaned in to read what she was scribbling on the floor. Since Gothi was on the other side of the bed, Astrid couldn't see what she was writing, but since the others were distracted, she grabbed Hiccup's limp hand, giving it a reassuring squeeze. Hiccup let out a sigh, and Astrid took that as a sign of relief.

"So?" Astrid asked, looking over at Gobber who was currently reading silently to himself.

He looked up at her, clearing his throat. "Oh, right. Okay, so she says that his leg is inflamed and irritated- meaning his been on his prosthetic too much lately. Probably flying on Toothless too much too, I'd reckon. She suggests keeping him in bed for a day or two to give it some time to heal. It's swollen too, suggesting it might be getting a small infection." At the look of panic that flashed across her face (without her permission, mind you. No matter how much she fought against that fear that Hiccup would be in pain, her terror still showed through) he hurried to say, "But she says it's not serious, and if it gets any worse it'll be easy to drain it."

Astrid sighed in relief, glad that Hiccup was going to be okay. But she was still going to stay with him until he woke up, even if he was technically "okay". She knew Stoick would have to leave sooner than later since he was the chief, and he had duties to do. And somebody had to stay with Hiccup, and why not that somebody be her?

Stoick straightened up, his face filled with relief. "Thank Thor." He mumbled. He looked at Astrid, and she quickly released Hiccup's hand, having momentarily forgotten she'd been holding it until now.

"You'll stay with him, won't you Astrid? I've got a lot of work to do…" Stoick asked, his voice trailing off in regret.

"Yes. I'll stay with him. And if he wakes up, I'll tie him to the bed if necessary to keep him from moving." Astrid smiled reassuringly.

Stoick laughed, "You might just have to. Even without his prosthetic he still finds a way to escape."

The room cleared out quickly, all the men leaving to return to their duties. Toothless remained of course, the dragon taking up his stance once again by the side of Hiccup's bed. Toothless stared at down at Hiccup with wide and curious eyes, and he looked up at Astrid, giving her a gummy smile. It was almost as though he understood the situation. He probably did for all she knew. He _was_ the smartest dragon after all.

Astrid picked up Hiccup's hand again, holding it loosely in her own. She brought her legs up onto the chair so she was sitting cross-legged on it, leaning back against the back of the chair, her head resting against it. She blinked her eyes, continuing to stare at Hiccup's slightly sweaty face.

She blew a wisp of hair out of her eyes, and gave a little jump when Toothless shot a plasma blast at the fireplace. It immediately lit up, the heat radiating into the room at once.

She snuggled against the chair even more, growing drowsy as the heat began to fill the room even more. Before long, her eyes were drifting shut. She fought against it, but the heat was starting to get to her. So cozy and warm… even in her upright position in the chair. She curled up a bit, and gently drifted off to sleep.

 **Did you like it? It's actually like… the longest chapter I've ever written in any of my FanFics. Over 3,000 words long! I'm setting myself for a new chapter length goal… 2,000 to 2,500 words. Before I aimed for 1,500 to 2,000 words, but I thought it time I bump it up a little.**

 **Well, as usual, leave a review, and I'll try to update soon! Thanks everyone!**


	3. Chapter 3

**HELLO! IT'S ME! I HAVE RETURNED!**

 **So sorry for not updating until now! But I have bad writers block on this story, mainly because I don't really have a plot for it. Does anybody have any ideas?**

 **Thanks for being so patient, enjoy this chapter!**

* * *

Something tickled her cheek, and Astrid smiled in her half-asleep state. She blinked her eyes, then let out a huff of air to try and blow the ticklish hair away from her face. She paused for a few seconds, then sat bolt upright in alarm.

She'd fallen asleep, and she was supposed to be taking care of Hiccup! How could she just fall asleep like that? She was a warrior, prepared for any emergency and who's supposed to be able to stay awake no matter what. And she'd just failed that. She felt frustrated with herself, so sat up straight and less comfy like, letting her legs fall and drop to the floor silently. She focused her attention on Hiccup, smiling when she saw that he was still asleep.

Or at least, she thought he was. The blanket was pulled up almost over his head, so that all she could see was his hair. But she could see the gentle rise and fall of his body, indicating that he was still asleep.

Astrid stood up and stretched, rather cramped from her position on the chair. She walked to the window as silently as possible, peering outside to see how long she'd been asleep. Thankfully, she noticed that the sun wasn't even to the midpoint of the sky yet, proving that she'd probably only been asleep for an hour at the most.

She went back to the chair, but paused when she saw Hiccup's desk, chucked full with papers. She hesitated, then tiptoed to it, trying to be as careful as possible. She looked over at Toothless's stone slab, and was met by wide green eyes. The dragon smiled crookedly at her, his teeth forming a grin. He cooed quietly, his eyes glancing over at Hiccup worriedly.

Astrid lifted a finger to her lips, signaling for silence. Toothless nodded his head, then laid back down, his eyes still fixed on Hiccup's bed.

Astrid looked through a couple of the parchments that were on top of the desk and easiest to get to. There were multiple drawings of Toothless… everywhere more and more drawings of the Night Fury, not one picture the same. Each one had Toothless in a new position, and each one looked so realistic. The position Toothless was in, they all looked believable and real. Astrid had no idea how Hiccup could draw such beautiful images- how had she not realized this before?

Astrid shifted through more papers, wincing when they rustled or crinkled making noise. She found more and more and more never ending papers of Toothless, and Astrid was starting to think that maybe Toothless posed for Hiccup- and if Toothless hadn't, Hiccup was an amazing artist. How had she never known about this? How had she not noticed?

She finally shifted through all the pictures until she reached the wood of the desk. She hesitantly searched a bit more, wanting to see more of Hiccup's sketches. They were so beautiful! Could he draw more things… besides Toothless?

Her fingers grazed the cover of a book, and she paused before grabbing it and pulling it out from under a mountain of books. She held it in her hands for a moment, staring at the cover.

She shouldn't open it. She shouldn't. She was trespassing, and this was Hiccup's and she hadn't asked and…

She opened the cover. She just had to see more of Hiccup's beautiful work. Maybe there were more drawings in here of things other than Toothless?

The first picture looked like it was pretty old. It was a drawing of Stoick's hut, from the ground below view. She smiled at it, surprised by how accurate it was. It had a few goofs here and there, and obvious smudge marks, but it was good all the same. She turned the next page, finding a drawing of a dragon- a Zippleback- as was the next drawing. They were very realistic looking, although in each drawing of the dragons Hiccup had portrayed them as fierce, fire breathing dragons.

She flipped through several more pages, many drawings of different dragons they'd seen over the past. She continued going through them, taking in every detail that Hiccup had made on the pages. These were amazing… she wondered if Stoick had ever seen them.

She was nearing the end of the book when she came across a map that had many x's on it, and also mad scribbles. She stared at it in puzzlement, then it dawned on her. It was the map of Raven's Point. This must've been when Hiccup had gone out in search of Toothless!

She flipped the page, and saw the drawing of Toothless, his left tailfin smudged off. She frowned at it, not sure what it meant.

She turned the next page, and froze. There, was a very life like and realistic drawing of _her._

In the drawing, she was posed in a warrior position, her battle axe swung above her head defensively. It surprised Astrid that Hiccup knew that she used that pose so much. They hardly ever spoke before the Red Death, and she was certain he drew this before they became friends because of the map and drawing of Toothless.

She stared at it, then held the book in one hand, letting her fingers graze over the drawing in awe. It was so realistic, it looked like she might very well leap right off the page and into the room. It shocked her that anybody could draw this good. It was amazing.

"How did we never realize sooner?" Astrid whispered. She felt a tear slip down her cheek, and she swiped it away madly. Hiccup was doing it again. Making her cry, and he wasn't even awake!

She felt horribly guilty all of a sudden… again. It was hard to push passed it, even though Hiccup already had. She still couldn't foget the past and all those horrible things they'd done to him. Hiccup hadn't deserved it. Hadn't deserved any of it. He'd deserved so so so much more, and yet they had ignored him.

She was snapped out of her musing when she heard a low groan. She snapped the sketch book closed, hurrying to push it back where she'd found it, scattering the papers back over the desk, trying to make it messy and somewhat like it had been before. Then, she hurried over to the bed, where Hiccup was already stirring.

Hiccup rolled over, the blanket falling down onto his shoulders. His emerald green eyes stared up at her dazedly, still cloudy and hazy from sleep. "Astrid?" he mumbled. "What're you doing here?"

Astrid sat back down, trying to clear her mind of her previous thoughts to more cheerful ones. "You passed out at the Hall so I thought I'd stay here and make sure you didn't try to get up and escape."

Toothless had come over to the bed again, now that Hiccup was awake. The dragon cooed happily, giving Hiccup's face a small lick. Hiccup smiled and rubbed one of his hands against the dragon's nose.

"Sorry… you don't have to stay."

Astrid shook her head. "Nope. You're stuck with me. Strict orders from your Dad."

Hiccup groaned and pulled the covers back over his head. "I've fine really you don't have to stay-"

Astrid crossed her arms over her chest, sitting back down on her chair. "It's pointless to argue, Hiccup."

Hiccup moaned again before whipping the blankets off his head and sitting up. Astrid watched him carefully, and noticed how he winced when he moved his legs, although he didn't complain about it and was obviously trying to hide his pain. She felt her heart ache again, Hiccup was so selfless. Either that or he was just plain stubborn, and was determined to hide from her the fact that he was hurt just so he could get up and wear himself out again.

He swung his legs over the bed, and looked like he was about to get up, but then stopped and turned to look Astrid.

"Can I have my leg, please?" He begged.

Astrid smirked and he groaned, flopping back onto the bed. "You cruel slave driver." Hiccup moaned.

"What slave driver? I'm letting you get some well needed rest!"

"I don't need rest…"

Toothless barked, then pressed his paw against Hiccup's chest, holding the boy down. Hiccup looked at the dragon before flopping back down again.

"Not you too, bud!"

Toothless gave a few low chuckles before giving Hiccup a stern glare. Her removed his paw and stepped back, waddling back over to his stone slab.

Hiccup rolled over, but froze in mid turn with a hiss of pain. Astrid jumped forward, holding out her hands not sure what to do to help him. "Hiccup? What's wrong?"

"Nothin'." Hiccup mumbled. He still hadn't moved, and his hands were clenched into fists. "Whad 'appened?"

Astrid didn't move to sit down, staying standing in case Hiccup needed her. "Gothi said you've been on your leg too much lately. You've got to take it easy, Hiccup. You're going to wear yourself down if you keep pushing yourself."

Hiccup sighed and completed his roll over onto his side, his back to her. He laid there for a few seconds, his breathing heavy and labored. Astrid's heart clenched yet again at the sight of his pain. It was obvious, even if Hiccup did try to hide it.

"Oh, Hiccup." Astrid whispered, shaking her head. She sat down on the edge of the bed, reaching out a hand hesitantly to touch his head. She paused only inches away, then moved forward and ruffled his hair lightly. She felt Hiccup stiffen under her hand, and his breathing totally ceased. She smiled to herself at his shock.

Hiccup picked up his breathing again, and she noticed it was just as labored as before- if not more so. She began to get concerned, so withdrew her hand and stood to walk over to the other side of the bed so she could see his face.

His eyes were closed, his face beyond pale. His mouth was open slightly, and his breaths were coming in little spurts. Panic grabbed her heart, and she rushed forward, kneeling beside the bed in front of him.

"Hiccup?" she asked loudly, nudging his shoulder. Hiccup just moaned, giving a little shudder. Astrid could feel the color leave her face as she shook him a little harder. "Hiccup!"

Toothless leapt to his feet at her frantic voice, rushing over to the bed behind her. She looked at the dragon, their looks almost identical. Each one was panicking, and neither knew what to do.

"Hiccup! Answer me!" Astrid shouted, but Hiccup didn't respond. She was freaking out, her breathing nearing the hyperventilating mark. She had no idea what to do. Should she go get Gothi? Get Stoick? Gobber? Should she even leave Hiccup _at_ all? She definitely _didn't_ want to, but she didn't know how to help him, and Hiccup needed help. NOW.

She remembered the dragon by her side, and she whipped her head around to face him. "Toothless, I need you to go get Stoick. Tell Stormfly to get Gothi."

Toothless cooed worriedly, looking at Hiccup hesitantly before jumping over the bed and out the door. Astrid heard the _thump_ as the dragon landed on the floor below, not bothering to use the stairs.

Astrid turned her focus back to the boy in front of her, and she noticed how he was beginning to shiver, as though he had the chills. She looked at the fireplace, but the fire was still cackling warmly, heat radiating from it. It wasn't that cold in there… what's wrong?

"Hiccup, please wake up. What's wrong?" Astrid begged, her voice beginning to tear up and choke as she tried to hold back her tears. "Hiccup, please wake up!"

The only response was his heavy breathing, and she noticed how it was getting rapid and wheezy. Why was he breathing like that? It was his leg that was bothering him, not his lungs!

Astrid knelt there, not sure what to do. Finally, she stood up and crawled up on the bed beside him, sitting and leaning against her head against the headboard. She pulled his quaking form into her lap, trying to help keep him warm. Gosh, he was freezing. She lifted her hand and placed it on his forehead, and she forgot to breathe when she realized he was running a fever.

"No, no, no, no…" Astrid whispered. She hugged Hiccup closer to herself, hoping and praying that Stoick would get there soon. "Please… no. Hiccup, please be okay…"

 **SO SORRY THIS TOOK SO LONG TO UPDATE! It's test week for me in school so I've been doing a lot more studying, and it's been harder to find time to type. So, again, I apologize!**

 **Shot-outs!**

* * *

 **Training to be a fangirl: Ikr! I really want a RTTE episode where Stoick tells Hiccup he loves him. I don't think he's said it yet… has he? Did he say it in Midnight Scrum? I can't remember… Thank you and it's glad to be back! :D**

 **Hiccstridlover13: Awww you used my nick-name! That made me so happy when I read it. :D Thank you and am glad you are enjoying this!**

 **AndreaTheVeryBadCat: Thank you!**

 **Wildatheart843: Thanka thanka thanka!**

 **Ania85201: Thanks and here it is! :D**

 **Itban Fuyu: Thank you!**

 **Cats and violin (guest): Thank you! Sure I can, I'll add it to my list! I love Hiccup and Snotlout interaction as cousins, and I think we need more of them. Season 4 of RTTE included quite a bit of those two and their cousinly relationship and I loved it!**

 **Guest #1: Thank you! I like father/son bonding as well. :)**

 **Guest #2: I know, us FanFiction writers just love torturing him… for whatever reason. XD**

 **ReptileGirl497: Thank you!**

 **Writergirl142: Thanks! :D**

 **Guest #3: Glad you like it!**

 **Guest #4: Glad you're enjoying it! :)**

 **See you all next chapter!**


	4. Chapter 4

**Me again!**

 **Finally here with Chapter 4. Again, anybody have any ideas for a plot? Or do you guys want this story to be more of just a friendship bonding type story between Hiccup, his Dad, the dragon riders, Gobber and Toothless? I'm thinking on just making this story like that, kind of a fun one where Hiccup and the riders have fun times but also some sort of catastrophe with Hiccup's leg… still trying to get this figured out. :D**

 **Anyways, enjoy!**

* * *

Those fifteen minutes were the longest fifteen minutes of Astrid's life.

Hiccup began to shake, as though he had the chills, but his body was steadily growing warmer due to his fever. Astrid had grabbed the bucket and rag beside the bed, ringing out the rag and laying it on Hiccup's forehead to try and bring down his fever. But it was steadily rising, and Astrid was beginning to panic.

Finally, she heard the door below open, followed by the rapid sound of footsteps. At almost the same time Toothless dropped down through the hatch in the roof, gently landing on the wooden floor before hurrying to the bed.

"ASTRID!" Came Stoick's voice. Then came the sound of loud thumps on the stairs, the man obviously galloping up them as fast as possible.

"HURRY!" Astrid shouted back, her arms wrapping tightly around Hiccup when the boy moaned and moved slightly. Astrid looked back down at him, noticing how sweat was dripping down his forehead and over his eyes. "Hiccup? Can you hear me?"

Stoick entered the room, and he froze in place when his eyes landed on Hiccup and Astrid. His eyes widened and he stumbled a bit before hurrying forward.

"What happened?" He asked huskily as he grabbed Hiccup and pulled him into his arms, allowing Astrid to move off the bed.

"I-I don't know. He woke up for a couple of minutes wanting to get up and walk around, but I didn't let him… then he started breathing like that, and- and his fever…" Astrid rambled in a panic, her own breathing uneven. She panted for air, her hand going to Toothless's head for comfort. "I-I didn't know what to do…" she whispered fearfully. "I-I'm sorry, chief…"

"No, it's not your fault, Astrid." Stoick reassured gently, but it was obvious his mind was more focused on Hiccup then it was on Astrid. "Gobber and Gothi are on their way, but Gothi refused to ride a dragon so they'll take longer."

Astrid nodded, her hand rubbing absentmindedly over Toothless's head. The dragon cooed quietly, his nose moving forward to bump Hiccup's boot, causing Hiccup to flinch and moan. Toothless withdrew immediately, giving another little croon.

"What could be wrong?" Astrid asked quietly, and would've whispered it but if she had, she wouldn't've been able to be heard over the sound of Hiccup's gaspy breathing.

Stoick shook his head, "I don't know…"

Astrid once again heard the door swing open from below. She hurried over to the door, finding that she had to move before she exploded. She peered down the stairs and saw Gothi and Gobber moving as quickly as Gothi could up the stairs towards the bedroom.

"Hurry!" Astrid urged. "He's worse!"

Gobber's brow was furrowed in a surprisingly worried look. Gobber, as said before, didn't worry. Only when things were serious or urgent.

Astrid stepped back, allowing Gobber and Gothi to move through. She followed behind timidly, once again taking her place beside Toothless. Gothi moved her hands and staff towards them, obviously giving them the "shoo" signal. Toothless growled at her, his eyes narrowing into slits. Gothi backed up, then nodded curtly to the dragon before looking at Astrid with a distinct message of "go".

Astrid shook her head, "No, I'm staying here." She stated firmly, almost angrily.

"Lass…" Gobber started. Astrid swung her head to face him, and her heart plummeted. He shook his head, looking back down at the unconscious Hiccup in Stoick's arms. "You won't want to be here…"

Astrid shook her head dazedly. "No, please, I can't just leave him."

"He won't be alone." Gobber stared at her, his eyes soft and caring.

"You go find the others, Astrid." Stoick said firmly. "Go and explain what happened, I had to leave them in a hurry-"

"O-others?" Astrid stuttered.

"The other kids."

Astrid bit her lip and looked back at Hiccup's pale face. His chest was heaving and his breathing was heavy and thick. Gobber was right. She hated to see him like this. She couldn't stand it…

She sighed heavily, nodding her head slightly. "Alright. But… come and get me when you know what's wrong and-"

"We will, Astrid." Gobber assured. She stared at him for a couple of seconds before turning around and disappearing through the door, her feet dragging down the stairs. As much as she didn't like seeing Hiccup in such a state, she couldn't stand to leave him alone either.

Astrid grabbed her coat off the table, slowly pulling it on and tying it. She pulled up the hood before stepping outside, the burst of cold air jolting her out of her daze.

She sighed again, then stumbled forward when something nudged her from behind. She turned and smiled softly at Stormfly, rubbing her hands over the dragon's head. "Hey, girl. Should we go find the others?"

Stormfly squawked and wagged her tail. Astrid smiled again before climbing on, nudging Stormfly with her heels to urge her to the sky, not that Stormfly needed it. She was ready to take of anyways.

Astrid didn't have to go far before she spotted the others below. They were huddled in a little group in the town square, in a circle around a large bonfire. She directed Stormfly to land nearby, slowly dropping from her dragons back onto the ground.

The others immediately stood up, everyone's – even the twins – faces lined in worry. Astrid directed her gaze to the ground a she slid onto the ground, surprised by how warm it was. She looked to her side, realizing why. Snotlout was sitting on Hookfang's neck, and Hookfang's entire body was lit up at a slow burn. That, plus the bonfire, the area was quite warm- even with the wind.

Everyone remained silent for a few seconds, and even though they were outside and the wind was still whistling around them, Astrid could've sworn she'd been able to hear a pin drop. No one moved, the only sound being the cackling of Hookfang and the bonfire.

"So… how is he? Toothless came and seemed really panicked…" Snotlout started hesitantly and quietly. Everyone directed their gaze to Astrid, waiting for her answer.

Astrid shook her head, her eyes still directed at the bonfire. "I-I don't know. When Gothi first came, she said he'd just worn himself out, but then they left, and he woke up and seemed fine… until…" Astrid cleared her throat to try and rid the thickness in it. She wanted to cry… again. But no, she couldn't cry. Especially here in front of everyone. Never would she let them see her weak like that. "he passed out. That's when I sent Toothless to get Stoick."

Silence once more, and it was beginning to get uncomfortable. Astrid shifted her position, only then realizing that Stormfly had laid down behind her, curled up in a little mound. Astrid leaned back, sighing at the feeling of the dragon's warm body.

"But he's gonna be okay… right?" Tuffnut asked, and for the first time ever Astrid actually witnessed some sincerity in his tone. It was enough to snap her into full awareness, and she stared at him in surprise. He was staring back, his eyes wide with worry.

"I don't know…" Astrid replied. "They kicked me out before I could figure out what was wrong."

Snotlout climbed off of Hookfang, giving his dragon a little pat before walking over and sliding down to sit beside Astrid and Stormfly. "We had planned on flying over to the East point of the island for a bit of fun, but since Hiccup's out and with it being so cold, we canceled that off." Snotlout explained. "So, we're all bored stiff, got any ideas? If we sit her any longer thinking on Hiccup we're all gonna go crazy."

"Snotlout just hates admitting he actually cares." Fishleg's added.

Snotlout glared at him, but Astrid noticed how it wasn't as harsh as it could be. "Untrue, Fishface."

Astrid smiled lopsidedly. "I-I think I'm just going to stay around the village today. Gobber promised to keep me updated so…"

"Yeah, we understand." Fishlegs replied with a little smile. "We all saw you kiss him." he added, almost shyly.

Astrid whipped her head around and glared daggers at him. "Shh." She hissed, but too late.

"Okay, I saw that too. Mind explaining? Were you just happy he was awake or did you actually mean it?" Snotlout demanded, standing up and staring down at her.

Astrid pushed herself to her feet, averting her eyes so she didn't have to look at any of them. "Uh-um… how about a dragon race?"

"But you just said-" Ruffnut started.

"I know but I changed mind. I bet I can fly around the island faster than any of you." With that, Astrid catapulted onto Stormfly's back, startling the dragon to a stand. The others were already hurrying to their dragons, Fishleg's lagging behind since he was bigger and Meatlug was a bit round, making it difficult for him to climb on in a hurry.

As Stormfly flew through the air, already knowing where they had to go, Astrid relaxed in the saddle, her mind drifting to what Snotlout had said earlier. What had that little kiss meant? I mean, she had been the one to initiate it, and Hiccup hadn't really responded at all. He hadn't kiss back, and had looked stunned when she'd pulled away. Then he'd grinned at her goofily, that trademark Hiccup grin, with the words "I could get used to it".

So what, were they a couple now? They hadn't talked about any of that sort of stuff ever since that happened, and they had barely so much as touched. Well, that is until today when Hiccup passed out. But besides that, hardly any physical contact. Verbal at times, but nothing beyond friends.

Astrid supposed it was because they were… well, so shy and new to the entire thing. Especially Hiccup, who was still trying to adjust to having _friends_ , much less someone more than that.

"Ha, I think you're gonna lose!" Snotlout shouted, snapping Astrid out of her musing. She grinned over at him, trying to rid herself of her concern for Hiccup.

"Snotlout, haven't you learned by now? I never lose." She answered, leaning forward even more. Stormfly kicked into full gear, taking off at alarming speeds, leaving Hookfang behind. After Toothless, Stormfly was the next fastest dragon. But Astrid was sure that if Toothless and Hiccup had been there, she would come in second place. Those two were one with the wind when they went full speed, Toothless sometimes turning into nothing but a little black blur. It was amazing.

Stormfly turned around a rock formation, and they were back at the village. Astrid directed the dragon to the village square, landing daintily beside the now dwindling bonfire. The others landed beside her, the twins arguing about who had come first, Barf or Belch.

"Guys, seriously, you're riding the same dragon. You tied." Fishlegs said, climbing down from Meatlug's back.

"No, Barf's neck is longer! I think I beat Tuffnut by a good thumb's length." Ruffnut argued, holding up the said finger.

"Ha, you're just jealous because Belch made the sharp turn-"

Before long, the two were rolling around in the snow, continuing their argument by kicking and biting. Astrid shook her head in exasperation, her gaze going to rest on the Chief's hut on the hill. Her mind went back to Hiccup, and her chest tightened in worry.

She looked back at the others, "Guys, I think I'm gonna go check and see how Hiccup's doing-"

"Alright, we'll meet you at the Great Hall for supper tonight. At dusk." Snotlout replied, he and the others flying off. Stormfly squawked, but Astrid shook her head.

"No, let's walk. I need the exercise." And she somehow knew that she hadn't waited long enough to go and visit. If she walked it would take longer to arrive, and then it would hopefully appear like she wasn't wearing herself thin worrying.

The villagers greeted her as she passed, and she replied halfheartedly. Some looked at her with concern, but continued on their way without question- much to her relief. She didn't feel like explaining, not to mention she wasn't sure if Stoick wanted to make this a public ordeal.

When she reached Stoick's hut, she prepared to knock. But just as she lifted her fist, the door swung open and Gobber stepped forward.

"Gobber, how is he?" Astrid asked, her hands falling to her side. Gobber smiled.

"The lad's gonna be just fine. He's tougher then nails, he is. Woke up a little while ago after Gothi cleaned up his leg. He's resting now, Stoick's with him. Appointed me acting chief for the day."

Astrid sighed and slumped in relief, giving a shaky laugh. "Oh, thank Thor. I wasn't sure…"

Gobber gave a laugh and patted her on the back with his hook, making her flinch slightly. "Nope. He'll be just fine… with rest. And this time, Stoick says he will tie Hiccup to the bed, although I doubt Toothless will be letting him so much as a move a finger for the next day or so." He laughed again.

Astrid began to move past him, but Gobber held her back. "No, you don't. Hiccup's asleep anyways, and he's exhausted. You can come see him later."

Astrid struggled a bit more, but found that Gobber wasn't letting her budge. She went limp and crossed her arms. "Fine. But I'll come back with food or something from the Hall later on… will that be alright warden?" She said sarcastically, looking up at him with a little smile. It was hard to be mad right now, for she was still happy that Hiccup wasn't as bad off as they'd thought. It made her want to be giddy and giggle, which of course she restrained herself from doing. Astrid Hofferson didn't giggle.

"Alright, off with you." Gobber said, shoving her back towards Stormfly. She smiled again, then turned around and climbed onto her dragon's back.

"I'll be to see him a little after dusk." She said down to the blacksmith, then she urged Stormfly up into the sky, the two heading higher and higher where Astrid could let out her whoops of joy without being heard.

 **So from here on out it should be a bit more light hearted, with a lot more friendship bonding between the gang and the dragons. But there will definitely still be some drama I'm thinking, along with Hiccstrid.**

 **Love you all, see ya next chapter! Tootles!**


	5. Chapter 5

**Another Chapter people!**

 **Sorry for being so slow with updates, but it's test week (and last week was study week) so I haven't had as much time with studying and everything. Next week I should pick up on my writing again, so you should be seeing more updates sooner and closer together. :D**

 **Thanks for all the reviews, follow, and favorites! They just absolutely make my day! :D**

 **Here ya go! :)**

* * *

Hiccup blinked his eyes open, blearily blinking up at the ceiling. What- where was he?

He rolled over onto his side, wincing slightly at the movement of his leg. He blinked some more when he realized he was back in his room. But that didn't make sense. The last time he'd been awake he'd been in the Great Hall…

Hiccup bolted upright, his eyes wide as he remembered. Oh gods, he'd fainted! And in front of everybody too! Oh man, his Dad was probably humiliated…

He rolled over and sat up, hurrying to stand. He let out a yelp as he went crashing to the ground with a groan, realizing too late that he didn't have his prosthetic. In an instant Toothless was at his side, cooing happily and licking his face.

"Ugh, Toothless!" Hiccup laughed, pushing the dragon's head away. "Bud, I'm okay! Yeah, I'm glad to see you too."

Hiccup sat up, rubbing his head in confusion as he glanced at the window. Pitch black. Was it night already? How long had he been out?

Hiccup gripped onto the bed with both hands and pulled himself up onto it, plopping down onto with a sigh of relief. His leg was really bothering him- even more so then earlier. It hummed softly with pain, and it was bothersome, but not exactly a sharp pain- thankfully. Hiccup rubbed his leg while he glanced about the dim-lighted room, looking for his prosthetic.

He spotted it on a chair all the way across the room. Hiccup sighed and tried to stand up, but Toothless butted his head against his stomach, forcing him to sit back down.

"Uh, Toothless, I kinda need my leg." Hiccup pointed over at the chair, and Toothless followed his gaze. The dragon swung his big head back around and shook his head, clearly stating "No."

"Toothless!" Hiccup exclaimed. "I'm fine, you don't need to worry." He went to stand up again but froze when Toothless growled threatingly.

Hiccup sat back down and turned to stare at his dragon, eye to eye. "Now listen here, you over grown lizard." Hiccup started sternly, "I need to get up and outside so people know that I'm fine, and so nobody starts getting suspicious. It's bad enough I passed out in front of… well… everyone at the Great Hall, I don't need to be bedridden for days."

Toothless looked unimpressed and not the least bit moved by Hiccup's little speech. The dragon simply stared back at Hiccup, a very doubtful look on his face. And, Toothless didn't move an inch.

"Please Toothless…." Hiccup practically begged.

Toothless shook his head again, his ear flaps flopping a bit with the movement. Hiccup sighed and leaned back, then his face lit up in a smirk as an idea hit him.

"We'll go for a flight." He bribed, leaning closer to Toothless's head. "Night flight, you'd like that wouldn't you, bud?"

Toothless leaned a little closer, his eyes flickering as he dazed out a little bit, but then he shook his head and grunted, his eyes narrowing again as he placed a paw on Hiccup's chest, forcing the boy to lie flat on his back against the bed.

"Ugh, Toothless…" Hiccup groaned rolling over onto his side while Toothless busily pulled the blankets back over him. "You useless reptile." Hiccup muttered while Toothless chuckled.

"Chief!" Came a call from below. Hiccup and Toothless froze in place as they waited, and for a few seconds Hiccup thought he'd imagined the voice.

Then came the light sound of footsteps on the stairs, along with a bit of whispering. Hiccup pushed himself into a sitting position while Toothless plopped down beside the bed, his eyes following Hiccup's every move.

Astrid appeared in the door way, and her eyes instantly fell on Hiccup. Her face lit up in a smile as she hurried forward, setting the bowl of steaming food on Hiccup's desk as she passed.

"You're awake!" Astrid said happily. She shoved the stool closer to the bed before sitting in it, her legs crossed as she made herself comfortable. "I was beginning to think you'd sleep forever."

Hiccup frowned, "How long was I asleep?"

"Ever since early this morning- well, then you woke up for a couple of minutes a little before noon…"

Hiccup puzzled for a moment. "I don't remember waking up…"

"You were pretty out of it, and you had a fever." Astrid explained. Silence fell for a couple of moments, and Hiccup shifted uncomfortably. Even though he and Astrid had been "hanging out" for the last two months now, it was still odd having her just… _sitting there_ talking to _him_. It still felt strange.

Astrid fidgeted with her skirt, playing with one of the spikes as the awkwardness continued. Finally, she shook her head and glanced up.

"I almost forgot!" She twisted around in her chair and grabbed the bowl, shoving it into Hiccup's hands. "I brought food. The others also sent a "get well soon" message that I was told to relay." She smiled and handed him a fork. "I missed you today…" she added. "We had a dragon race, and of course I won." She smiled smugly while Hiccup just rolled his eyes, "Wish you'd been there." She added.

Hiccup just smiled at her, not sure what to say. This was all so… weird, hearing that people actually missed him- much less Astrid. It made his heart flutter and his head feel light, like he was up in the clouds. And it just filled his heart with so much joy.

"Well, if Toothless." Hiccup glared at the Night Fury, "would've just let me get out of bed I might've been able to take a lap around the island with you." He added the last few words hesitantly and fast, feeling embarrassed and awkward saying them. It almost sounded like a date, and that thought made him blush.

"Good boy, Toothless." Astrid pat the dragons head, and Toothless just grinned gummily at her. Hiccup groaned and flopped back against the headboard.

"You're supposed to stay in bed for a couple of days, Hiccup." Astrid said sternly, while - Toothless nodded his head in agreement. "Gothi's- and your Dad's- orders."

Hiccup sighed heavily and began to eat his food, the smell of it making his stomach rumble. He hadn't realized he was so hungry until that moment when the food was practically hanging in front of his nose, teasing him.

"So, why am I bedridden?" Hiccup asked around a mouthful of mutton.

"Your leg has a small- as in very small since Gothi took care of most of the problem- infection." Astrid explained. "She said you've been walking on it too much lately- and you have to take it easy or it will never heal completely."

Hiccup nodded his head and continued eating. "It didn't hurt that bad… guess I didn't think-"

"What else is new." Astrid teased.

Hiccup glared at her before continuing. "I just figured it's from the cold. The cold sometimes makes it worse."

Astrid watched him eat for a few more seconds before replying. "That was a lame excuse."

"I know but it was the best I could come up with."

Astrid snorted, then fell silent as Hiccup placed the bowl on his desk. Toothless followed Hiccup's movements, then just sat there staring at the bowl before clambering onto all fours and waddling over to the desk, his tongue lolling out to lick the bowl clean.

"Hey, bud, are you hungry?" Hiccup asked in concern. Toothless cooed in reply, still licking at the bowl.

"You can go get something to eat, Toothless. I'll take guard duty." Astrid said, placing a hand on Toothless's shoulder. The dragon smiled quickly before dashing towards the doors, disappearing downt he stairs.

"I don't need a guard." Hiccup protested.

Astrid just stared at him, and he wriggled uncomfortably. "And if I left you alone, what would you try to do?"

"Um- uh…" Hiccup stuttered, then grinned sheepishly. "Stay here in bed like a good little boy?"

Astrid laughed, "Precisely. I can't trust you."

"HEY ASTRID!" came a shout from below. "IS HICCUP AWAKE!" came another holler.

Astrid groaned and rolled her eyes, then turned around in her chair before letting out a shout that sent Hiccup's ears ringing, "YES! WHAT DO YOU WANT!"

"WE'RE WONDERING IF WE CAN SEE HICCUP!" came Tuffnut's reply.

Hiccup smiled as Astrid replied, her voice sounding slightly annoyed. "AND WHY CAN'T YOU JUST WALK UP HERE AND ASK LIKE ANY NORMAL PERSON WOULD!?"

There was silence, then the sound of scuttling feet from below, soon turning into the thumps as people raced up the stairs. Soon enough, four heads popped through the doorway, then Tuffnut asked.

"K, we're up here. Is Hiccup awake and can we see him?"

Snotlout rolled his eyes as he walked in, the others following him. Hiccup gave a little wave and scooched closer to the edge of the bed, letting his legs swing and dangle over the side. "Hi, guys." He greeted with a smile.

"How are you feeling?" Fishleg's asked worriedly. Hiccup shrugged, still smiling.

"Not bad. What've you guys been up to?"

"We had a dragon race today, and I totally beat Ruffnut." Tuffnut said proudly.

Ruffnut glared at her brother. "You did not, Barf's head was head of Belch's!"

"Nope, sorry sis but you lost fair and square. In dead last."

Ruffnut tackled her brother to the ground, both Thorstons rolling about as they punched, kicked and threatened each other. Snotlout watched them with a shake of his head, then looked up, his eyes catching Hiccup's.

"Uh- and I'm here- not because I care or anything! I just… uh… came to… see how Astrid was doing. How're you, babe?" Snotlout stuttered, eventually putting on a smooth voice as he batted his eyes at Astrid. She groaned in disgust before standing up, grabbing his arm and flipping him to the floor. She smiled in satisfaction before plopping back onto her chair.

Fishlegs stepped over Snotlout and went over to the bed, sitting down on a small stool. "It was rather boring today. Especially since it was so cold."

Hiccup nodded and looked regretful. "Sorry, I know we planned on-"

"No, don't worry about it. You need the rest." Fishleg's hurried to reassure him.

"And it was nice to have a day to relax… you know?" Astrid added, although she had done anything _but_ relax that day. Most of it had been spent worrying and fretting over Hiccup- but nobody needed to know that.

"Tomorrow we'll go to the East part of the island like we planned." Hiccup insisted. He then pointed a finger and waved it at them, saying before they had time to protest, "And you guys won't be able to stop me. I"ll find a way out of this bed, believe me."

Astrid grunted in disapproval. "Hiccup, we don't want you to get worse…"

"I won't. My leg already feels better." Hiccup partially lied.

Astrid didn't believe him. Not at all. But she also knew he was stubborn… beyond stubborn. Almost as stubborn as her. Scratch that, they were both overly stubborn.

"Fine, but only if it's alright with your dad." Astrid finally said.

Hiccup's face fell and he moaned. "Oh, gods, my Dad. What did he do when he found out I passed out?"

Astrid looked puzzled. "What do you mean? He was worried, of course-"

"Was he mad or… something?"

Astrid shook her head. "Of course not! He was really worried, but that was all."

Fishlegs stood up and walked to the door, "Guys, I think we'd better go. It's getting late and I think I hear the wind picking up."

The room went silent as everyone strained their ears, and sure enough. The wind was whistling and howling around the walls of the hut, shaking the roof a bit.

"Great." Snotlout muttered, clomping his way to the door. Tuffnut and Ruffnut stood up, both delivering each other a few more punches before disappearing out the door.

"We'll see you tomorrow, Hiccup!" Fishlegs shouted from below, then they heard the door slam shut, and even from upstairs Hiccup could feel the cold draft of air.

"You'd better go home too." Hiccup said to Astrid. "That wind sounds bad."

Astrid sighed. "Yeah." She stood up and headed towards the door, then whirled around and shook a finger at him. "And if you get up so help me you'll be looking for another leg."

Hiccup smiled. "I won't, milady."

Astrid paused, as did Hiccup. He began to blush bright crimson, sinking down into the blankets to try and hide his embarrassment. Gods, why in the archipelago had he said that!?

But Astrid just smiled softly before turning to the door. "Don't get used to that, pal." She tossed over her shoulder before trotting down the stairs.

 **I wonder how it went when Hiccup first called Astrid "milady"? I really want to know Astrid's reaction. :D**

 **I'm hoping to do a bit more father/son bonding, but I'm really not very good at writing that kind of stuff. But if you want I'll certainly give it a try! :D**

 **Thanks, and see you next chapter! (as always XD)**


	6. Chapter 6

**Hi!**

 **I know I say this a lot, but I'm SO SORRY for not updating sooner. As I've already said, it was test week for me last week, and yesterday and today I still had some tests to finish up along with reports so yep. There's my explanation. I cannot wait for school to be over and for summer to be here.**

 **Also, I hope to add some father/son bonding in either the next chapter or the one after that. I'm thinking there will only be one or two more chapters… still trying to get it all sorted out. :D**

 **So, without any more hold up or shenanigans… CHAPTER 6!**

* * *

The next morning the gang was gather in the town square, preparing to go on their flight to the far side of the island. Astrid had just tucked the last of the items into her satchel (which was slung around Stormfly's neck) and had tied it closed when she heard the familiar sound of medal clicking and the creaking of Hiccup's prosthetic.

She turned around with a smile, the others having already realized Hiccup had arrived.

"Hey there, H! We packed the food, like you told us to. Lots of yak jerky." Tuffnut said holding up a bulging sack while Ruffnfut stepped up behind him, holding onto three water skins.

"And I got the water." Ruffnut waved her hands for emphasis. "Non-poisoned, since I figured that would probably be the best choice."

"Yeah…" Snotlout said with an odd look on his face. He shook his head, and turned back. "And I brought the heat! Yep, Hookfang's gonna be our bonfire if we need it."

Astrid chose to ignore the other's chatter as she took in Hiccup's posture and expression. She noticed right away that he was leaning heavily on his right leg, and that he had a hand on Toothless's neck for support. He no longer looked flushed from the fever, and was bundled up- probably given to Stoick's insistence. The Berkian Chief had not been very thrilled when he heard Hiccup's plan to tag along with the gang- in the freezing cold. Hiccup wore a heavy fur coat along with a muffler, but otherwise wore his regular cloths. Everyone else had dressed warmer as well, none of them wanting to suffer frostbite.

"How are you feeling?" Astrid asked, stepping closer to him. Behind her she could faintly here the twins arguing, while Snotlout was rambling on about one thing or another. Fishleg's was grooming Meatlug, making sure to strap on a warm blanket he'd made just for her.

Hiccup smiled lopsidedly and gave a little shrug, "Better." He answered, making Astrid quirk an eyebrow at him questioningly.

"Really." Hiccup reassured, holding out his hands in a wild gesture. Astrid smiled as she watched him wave his hands, fascinated by how he could talk words using just his hands, arms, and shoulders.

"Well then." Astrid turned and jumped up onto Stormfly. "Let's get going before it gets any colder!"

The others agreed and copied her, each climbing onto their own dragon. Toothless was the first to take off into the air, and everyone else quickly followed.

"So, what're we gonna do? Have a steak out? Camp? Explore?" Snotlout asked, turning around in his seat to look at them.

"I vote for exploring! Maybe like a cave..?" Fishleg's voiced excitedly.

Astrid nodded, "That sounds interesting…"

"I personally think we should go dragon sledding." Tuffnut said, waving a finger in the air expertly.

"And I vote for creating an avalanche to make it twice as fun!" Ruffnut added.

"Hey, that actually doesn't sound too bad." Hiccup agreed.

Astrid looked at him in disbelief. "You're going to let those two mutton heads blow up a mountain-"

"No! I meant, the sledding part sounded fun." Hiccup hurried to say. He laughed and shook his head before glaring at the twins. "Absolutely NO explosions."

"I still like the cave idea." Fishleg's repeated. "Sounds fun, safe, and like maybe we could find some new dragons."

Hiccup nodded his head. "That sound good to everyone else?"

The answer was anonymous and it was decided. Find a cave, explore it for a couple of hours, quickly have some kind of bonfire and eat something before heading back to Berk before dark.

"Ha! I see one!" Snotlout shouted, pointing at a large hold in the side of a cliff. Everyone headed int hat direction, their dragons dropping down gently on the ledge.

"Okay." Hiccup said, climbing off of Toothless. Again, Astrid noticed how he refused to put weight on his left leg, and that concerned her. But Hiccup didn't seem to mind, so she kept quiet, instead turning to grab her satchel.

"Are the dragons coming with?" Snotlout asked, jabbing his thumb at Hoofkang. "Because I want Hookfang to come along and heat up the cave a little. I am NOT freezing my butt off just because we feel like exploring."

"Yes, the dragons can come along. At least- if the cave is big enough." Hiccup turned and walked- more like limped- into the cave a little ways, Toothless tagging along behind him. Hiccup turned around and shook his head. "Actually, this cave is pretty small, so the dragons will have to stay outside."

Snotlout groaned and looked skywards with a whine of complaint. "Whhhyyyy? Can't we find another cave?"

"No, Snotlout. Just man up and deal with it." Astrid said, passing by him to stand beside Hiccup. "Besides, this will be a good survival lesson. Will help toughen you up wo you won't need to be around heat twenty-four/seven."

Fishlegs gave an excited squeal before scurrying over, stopping to hold up a hand full of torches for Stormfly to light. He went to Hiccup and Astrid, handing each of them a torch, leaving one for himself. "This is so exciting!" He said, jumping from one foot to another. He then dashed forward and inside the cave.

"I just hope there aren't any bats." Snotlout grumbled.

"Why? You aren't… afraid of bats, are you?" Tuffnut asked, falling into step beside Snotlout. "I mean- I know you're afraid of spiders, but bats too?"

"I am not afraid of spiders! Or bats!" Snotlout shouted angrily, his face turning a deep scarlet.

While everyone else disappeared inside the cave's mouth, Hiccup sighed and patted Toothless's head gently. "Stay here, bud. We'll be back soon."

Toothless cooed worriedly and nudged Hiccup's good leg softly. Hiccup gave a little laugh before turning and stepping inside the cave. Astrid turned and gave a little wave at Stormfly before trotting after him.

"Hey, check this out. ECHO!" Tuffnut shouted loudly, his voice bouncing off the walls repeatedly what sounded like fifty times before finally dying down. Everyone covered their ears, waiting for the loud noise to die out.

"Woah! That's awesome!" Ruffnut exclaimed, jumping to her feet with a loud shout, "HEEELLLOOOO!"

"Stop!" Hiccup shouted.

Snotlout gripped onto his ears tightly, his eyes squeezed shut. "You two mutton heads are gonna pay for bursting my ear drums!" he bellowed, causing his own echo to begin. Everyone groaned, then turned quiet as they waited for everything to return to normal before uncovering their ears.

Hiccup held out his torch, his other hand going to push against the stone wall. Astrid held out her torch too, high towards the ceiling. She had to be careful, because lifting he torch any higher would cause it to hit the ceiling. Hiccup had been right; the cave wasn't all that big.

They continued their way inside, the only sound being their scuffling feet and the creak of Hiccup's prosthetic- which Astrid began to realize was becoming short and shuffled sounding. She purposefully slowed her step so she fell behind Hiccup and was able to watch him carefully, noting how he was limping and was continually leaning against the wall.

"Hiccup…" she started, but then bit her lip. Hiccup looked at her and shook his head with a firm look. She sighed and shrugged it off.

"Woah, look at this." Snotlout said, pointing at the wall. Everyone paused to look at what he saw, and Fishleg's gave a shout of recognition at the strange scratches in the stone wall.

"Oh! I know what that is! It's made by a Terible Terror to mark their nesting ground. You see, they aren't very big lines, just a lot of them making them look bigger." He explained, running his hands over the indents.

Snotlout rolled his eyes before continuing inwards, the others following. Astrid held back to let her fingers run over the scratches wonderingly, still amazed that they hadn't taken the time to learn all of this a few months ago. All the years they'd missed about dragons- all the fun times they had wasted. To think they could've been doing this expedition years ago, when they were younger and foolish- well, more foolish then they were now. The thoughts brought her back to the fact of how Hiccup had been ignored all those years, and how she wished she could change that fact.

But she quickly pushed those thoughts out of her mind, knowing it would only get her depressed if she pondered them. So she hurried to catch up with the others who'd already continued on.

She hung back, still wanting to keep an eye on Hiccup. He'd fallen silent, and wasn't taking much part in the conversation which had her slightly concerned. Hiccup was normally very talkative and loved to geek out with Fishleg's over dragons, but he hadn't even done that much when they'd found the Terrible Terror claw marks. Worry settled over her heart as she watched him closely, seeing how he was struggling to keep up with the others and how badly he was favoring his leg.

Then, he stopped and leaned heavily against the cave wall, his breathing heavy. Astrid paused, not sure if he'd want her to run up and offer help or not. She didn't want to embarrass him or to even make him frustrated.

But when he still made no move to continue, she decided to take her chanced. She hurried over, and sat a hand on his shoulder, giving it a light squeeze.

"Hiccup..?"

Hiccup didn't respond, only taking in a deep shaky breath.

"Is something wrong?"

Hiccup shook his head no, but she had a feeling it was a lie. For one thing, he wasn't answering her, and Hiccup normally voiced his reply.

"Hiccup..?" she repeated, moving around him so she could see his face…somewhat. All she could really see were his bangs since he had his head ducked.

Before she could ask anything else, Hiccup's legs went out on him and he began to collapse. He would've ended up smashing his head against the wall had Astrid not been there to catch him, her heart beat picking up rapidly at this sudden change of events.

"Hiccup!" she exclaimed in a panicked tone. The word echoed down the passageway, causing the others to stop and turn to see what was wrong. As soon as they saw the near unconscious Hiccup in her arms, they rushed towards them, gathering around, each wearing a panicked expression.

"What happened?" Fishleg's squeaked, his hand gripping the torch tightly. Astrid passed her and Hiccup's to Snotlout and Tuffnut so that she could hold onto Hiccup with both arms. Snotlout stepped forward, his face surprisingly creased in worry.

"I-I could help…" he whispered hoarsely, like it was hard for him to say. Astrid stared at him for a second before nodding. He stepped closer and was about to pick Hiccup up in his arms when the said boy shook his head.

"No… I-I-I'm fine, guys…" his voice was raspy, and he didn't sound "fine" at all. Or look fine, for that matter. He was pale, shaking, breath rattling in his chest, unable to stand with crying out in pain, and he also looked cold.

"Hiccup, let us help you." Astrid insisted. She hugged him a little closer to her body, willing her body to help heat is. Hiccup pushed away from her, his hand going out to push against the wall. She helped him straighten up, all his weight on his right leg, his prosthetic not even touching the ground.

"Seriously… just got a little dizzy…" Hiccup insisted, but no one was believing him. Tuffnut was shaking his head doubtfully, while Ruffnut just stared at him with an _are-you-serious?_ look. Fishlegs was absolutely still, his mouth forming a little _o_ shape like he had no idea what to say or what to do. Snotlout just look annoyed.

Hiccup looked at them all, a defiant look on his face. "I can walk."

Hiccup leaned against the wall even more, making Astrid reach out her hands to catch him should he fall. Hiccup shook his head, and she could've sworn she saw his back shake.

"I'm alright. Let's just keep going."

The others hesitated a moment before turning and continuing on, while Astrid hung back to help Hiccup. She slung his arm over her shoulder, her arm going to wrap around his back. Hiccup blushed visibly- from embarrassment of needing help or by the fact that she was touching him- Astrid wasn't certain.

It wasn't long before Hiccup's breathing worsened, and honestly, Astrid's had too. The air in the cave was thin, the cold not helping that fact. Everyone was breathing a bit heavier now, but Hiccup's was the worst. And whenever he put too much weight on his left leg, he'd hiss quietly under his breath.

The others paused and waited for Hiccup to catch up, and Astrid caught Snotlout's eye. The boy turned and watched Hiccup a bit more, before he threw up his arms, the torch in his hands flickering.

"For Thor's sake, Hiccup!" Snotlout shouted in frustration. He stomped forward, stopping right in front of them. "We're not going any further! You're hurt, and this cold and cave air isn't doing you any favors! We're taking you home. NOW."

Hiccup stared at his cousin, and Snotlout stared back at him. Silence hung in the air awkwardly, broken only by the sound of everyone's deep breathing.

Hiccup's body shuddered, and Astrid noticed how his face was paling. Snotlout noticed it too, and he had just enough time to grab Hiccup's arms before the boy's eyes slid shut and he went limp.

"The idiot." Snotlout said lowly. "Why does he pretend he's fine when he clearly is not?"

Astrid took Snotlout's torch, letting Snotlout take Hiccup up in his arms, holding the unconscious boy bridal style. She let her hands fall to her sides limply as her eyes flickered in realization.

"Because… because of us." She whispered. "We always teased him about how weak he was, how he wasn't strong…"

Snotlout's eyes widened, then his eye narrowed and Astrid was certain he would've slapped himself in the face had he not been holding Hiccup.

Astrid glanced at the others, noticing how their faces wore the same expression as Snotlout and herself. Guilt.

Hiccup moaned softly, and Snotlout turned and began heading back in the direction they'd come. Astrid followed close behind, her eyes watching Hiccup carefully. Snotlout was being surprisingly gentle- more so then Astrid knew he had the power to do. Everyone was quiet, not one person saying a word.

When they reached the mouth of the cave, Toothless bounced forward with a bark of concern. He sniffed Hiccup's face before looking at Astrid, his eyes wide and filled with worry.

"We need to get him back home." Astrid stated. "But nobody knows how to fly Toothless…"

"We're still on the island. Couldn't Toothless just run back to the village?"

Toothless looked from one to another, before his eyes landed back on Hiccup's body. He crooned and nudged the boy's limp hand, withdrawing when he gained no response.

Astrid went over to the dragon and knelt down before him. "Can you run back to the village, Toothless?"

Toothless stared at her before nodding softly. It still surprised Astrid by how much these dragons seemed to understand. Again, she thought of all the dragons they'd killed. All those gentle, innocent creatures destroyed…

Hiccup yelped, causing Astrid to withdraw from her thoughts. Toothless had already taken off down the mountain side towards the other side of the village.

"H-hey… guys?" came a weak voice. Everyone turned around and stared at Hiccup, who by now had his eyes opened a crack and his arms wrapping around his chest. "Wh-what happened?"

"You passed out." Astrid informed him, climbing up onto Stormfly's back before holding out her arms to Snotlout. He passed Hiccup up to her, and she gently positioned him in her arms. Hiccup's head fell limply against her shoulder, and his eyes slide shut.

"Toothless?" Hiccup whispered.

"He's on his way home."

Hiccup nodded slightly, and Astrid lifted a hand to placed it against his head. "We're going to get you home to your Dad."

Hiccup groaned, "Dad's gonna kill me." He whispered jokingly.

Astrid shook her head, a smile playing at her lips. "You idiot." Stormfly jumped off the cliff, her wings pumping as she flew quickly over the mountain back towards Berk. Astrid held Hiccup close, not wanting him to slip off.

She leaned closer and whispered quietly. "Hiccup, I just want you to know, that we'll always be here for you. If you ever need help, please ask us for it. We're your friends… and friends help each other."

The others voiced their agreements, and Hiccup lifted his head weakly to smile at them. "Thanks, guys… that means a lot."

Astrid hugged him closer, resting her head on top of his.

"No… thank you for being our friend, Hiccup."

 **Please review! I love getting them. :D**


	7. Chapter 7

**Okay, last chapter dragonites!**

* * *

Stoick lifted his head when he heard a knock come at the door. He was sitting at the table, shuffling through an assortment of parchments- some complaints from the villagers, some updates or notifications from other tribes. Just stuff that Stoick had been meaning to go through a while ago, and only now had the time to do it.

He stared at the door for a moment, wondering if he'd only imagined the noise or if it had just been a dragon landing on the roof while passing by. But just as he was about to look back down at his papers, more knocking- well, more like pounding- sounded on the large door.

Stoick grumbled and pushed himself away from the table. "I'm coming!" he replied loudly, rather annoyed that he was being interrupted. He'd told Gobber to take any questions or squabbles the villagers had- so why was somebody now outside his door nearly pounding it down?  
He swung it open, a full-blown lecture ready, when he noticed who was it was in the doorway. It was Astrid, holding onto a Hiccup who looked ready to collapse at any moment. The boy was pale, shaking, and obviously not using his leg at all.

Stoick could feel the blood draining from his face as he grabbed Hiccup from Astrid's arms, hurrying to pull his boy close to him in attempts to warm him.

Astrid hurried to explain, "We were exploring a cave- without the dragons- and I-I noticed how Hiccup's leg seemed to be bothering him so we stopped for a while- and he just got worse and worse." The girl rambled, and to be honest it surprised Stoick a bit. He'd never once in his life heard Astrid spill out so many words so fast. Then again, he'd been seeing a lot of stuff from the girl in the last three months then he had in the last _fifteen years_. And he knew why. It was Hiccup. The girl obviously liked him. Which made Stoick happy, because for one thing, Astrid was a tough warrior who he knew would make a good wife to a chief someday, and also because he knew Hiccup had a huge crush on her.

Stoick nodded and stepped back, allowing Toothless to enter. "Thank you, Astrid." He paused, then said before shutting the door. "Really, thank you for everything over the past few days. It's been tough, and you've made it a whole lot easier for both of us."

Stoick could've sworn Astrid blushed, but then again it was rather hard to tell since her face was already rather red from the cold. But she was obviously shy when she replied. "I owe it to him."

Stoick closed the door, the gush of cold air coming to a halt. The half-conscious Hiccup in his arms shivered before cuddling closer to Stoick's chest, mumbling incoherently while doing so.

"Shh… I'm gonna get you upstairs so you can rest, alright?" Stoick reassured. Hiccup mumbled something again, but Stoick ignored it, presuming it was some sort of disagreement. Knowing Hiccup, it probably was.

Stoick carefully made his way upstairs, trying not to jostle Hiccup too much. Toothless followed behind, the large dragon making the sturdy staircase to creak and groan under his weight. When they made it to Hiccup's loft, Stoick went and laid Hiccup in his bed. He then proceeded to pull of Hiccup's coat and other winter wrappings, leaving him in only his shirt and trousers. Hiccup shivered, causing Stoick to hurry and pull the blankets over his body. Toothless once again lit the fireplace on fire, but since there were only a few charred logs in it, it only let up a trickle of flame. Stoick rushed over and tossed a few logs inside, the room slowly warming as the flames grew bigger.

Stoick leaned back on his heels, staring at the flames for a few minutes before standing up and dusting off his knees. Toothless had walked over to Hiccup's bed and was now curled at the foot of it, the dragon snoring softly.

Stoick smiled and shook his head before walking to the bed, lifting the blankets to look at Hiccup's leg. Hiccup groaned in his sleep, his eyes squeezing shut when Stoick touched his knee. Stoick grimaced then reached forward and unstrapped his prosthetic, setting it aside. He let the blanket fall back down, and Hiccup scooched to curl into himself, giving a little sigh in the process. Stoick smiled softly again, resting a hand on his son's forehead, his thumb gently making a circular pattern across his skin.

"What..?" Hiccup mumbled, rolling over onto his back, blinking up at his father. "O-oh… hi Dad."

Stoick smiled, "Hey." Then, he went stern, his smile disappearing and a firm look replacing it. "Hiccup, I told you take it easy. And walking through a freezing cold cave is not taking it easy-"

Hiccup sighed and looked away. "I-I know… sorry…" he sighed heavily. "I'm just… just so tired of staying behind. I mean, I actually have friends now, and I can't even go and spend time with them. Or- or at least not be able to do what they do."

Stoick's face softened and he nodded in understanding. He got where his son was coming from, he wouldn't like to be stuck in bed either. Hiccup liked to be busy, had always been that way. He was always moving in some way- either walking around, pacing, or just doing all those wild gestures that he liked to do with his hands. It was just the way Hiccup was. He hated being still.

Stoick sat down on the edge of the bed, resting a hand on Hiccup's shoulder. Hiccup looked up at him before he returned his gaze back on the ceiling.

"Hiccup…" Stoick started. "I know this is hard for you. You're a Viking. Viking's don't like being bedridden."

Hiccup looked back at his father, his eyes wide and filled with surprise. Stoick puzzled for a moment why he'd be surprised by what he'd just said, then Stoick realized. He'd just called Hiccup a Viking. Had… had he ever said that before? Had he ever told Hiccup that he thought him a true Viking?

He pushed that aside, determined to finish what he'd started to say, "But you need your rest- or else your leg will never heal and you'll be stuck in that bed even longer. So just take it easy, we're all here, and we'll be here for oyou when you're up and all hunky dory. Okay?"

Hiccup looked away again and mumbled something under his breath. Stoick shook Hiccup's shoulder slightly.

"Please, Hiccup? I…" Stoick swallowed, "I can't have anything happen to you. Not again."

Hiccup rolled over and smiled at his Dad. "Sure. Or- I'll try. Somebody has to fly Toothless."

Stoick gave Hiccup a stern look. "But you will not be doing that until Gothi says you can. For at least a week-"

Hiccup sat up quickly. "A WEEK!"

Stoick pushed him back against the bed. "Yes. A week. And you won't be moving from that bed the entire time, got it?"

"B-but- Toothless-"

"He'll live a week on the ground, I'm sure. Or maybe Astrid can give working that tailfin a try."

Hiccup groaned and flopped against the pillow. "Seriously the gods hate me…"

Stoick chuckled and ruffled Hiccup's hair before standing up. "Now stay put. Toothless."

The dragon huffed and lifted his head, blinking sleepily at Stoick.

"You're on guard duty."

Hiccup groaned again before burying his head in the pillow. Toothless gave a rumbling dragon laugh before nodding at Stoick, then settling his head back on the floor.

Stoick started to move towards he door. "I'll be right downstairs all day if you need anything."

Stoick paused when he felt something grab his hand, and he turned to face Hiccup again. Hiccup's bright green eyes stared back, and a smile touched his son's face.

"Thanks Dad. And I'll take it easy. I promise."

Stoick grinned back and gave Hiccup's hand a squeeze. "I love you son. And don't forget it."

Hiccup just smiled at him, and Stoick released Hiccup's hand, resuming his way towards the stairs.

"I love you too, Dad."

Stoick paused, smiling to himself. The words sent explosions of joy off in his heart, the one small sentence filling him with happiness.

Yes. Everything was going to be okay. Of that he was certain.

And even if things did get tough again, Stoick knew that that Hiccup wasn't going to be alone. Never again. He had his Dad, Toothless, Astrid, the other riders, and the whole of Berk on his side.

They were there for him when he needed them, just like how he'd been there for them.

 **And… the end!**

 **Thank you all for reviewing, favoriting and following. I'll see you all in the next story! Please review because I love getting them!**

 **Bye for now!**

 **-FanWriter02**


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